Strings of Fate
by Vampiratelady
Summary: Humans are very stubborn beings. That's what Akura-ou thought as he came across a spirit of a girl who refuses to move on to the next life and begs him to help her. Will he help her or not? Akura-ou/AU, Akura-ou/Nanami(implied)
1. Author's Note

**Summary:**

Humans are very stubborn beings. That's what Akura-ou thought as he came across a spirit of a girl who refuses to move on to the next life and begs him to help her. Will he help her or not?

Characters/Pairings:  
Akura-ou / AU Akura-ou / Nanami (only implied)  
Tomoe / Nanami

 **Author's Note:**

The story's more of a side story to the manga. A bit AU but not so much. I like Akura-ou's character and how Suzuki Julietta portrayed him as a shallow and evil demon king who suddenly found himself at the mercy of the human world. The mange/anime showed glimpses of his kinder and softer side and I really reaally want to see more of those. So here's a fic I wrote just for that. I hope you guys like it.

Feel free to review :)


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:**

The characters of Kamisama Hajimemashita is not mine.

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE**

* * *

The busy street of Japan was filled with people. Some walked in a mildly fast phase as if in a rush to meet some kind of a deadline or to do an important task or perhaps. Some were just impatient to have a roof over their heads and bask in the comfort of their homes while some others walked in a manner as though they have all the time in the world. There were quite a few who, unlike the others, half walked and half ran, gliding and sliding at even the smallest opening in the crowd as though reaching their destination was a matter of life and death. That's exactly what the ghost felt as she looked at the people who passed by. She stared at the dozens and dozens of unfamiliar faces and approched some but no one paid her any mind.

"Umm.. Hello, could you-" She bit her lip in frustration as she watched yet again a middle-aged woman who walked pass her as though she was nothing but air. Well, in some case she was. But the thing with the people who could somehow see or perceive her presence, instead of listening they immediately ran as far as they can to the opposite direction.

So much for trying to contact the living.

The ghost walked aimlessly along the sidewalk. Having had her hopes turned down for the ninth time that day, the ghost felt suddenly helpless. It was ironic, she didn't know that spirits were capable of feeling such human sensations. The ghost stopped at a wooden bench and sat there before a long weary sigh came from her.

She should just give up.

The wind blew as though trying to comfort her. Her long auburn hair was thrown in disarray in front of her face as she lifted her face to bathe in the cool sensation. There she noticed something out of the corner of her eyes. A man. No, a dark angel. Were she not a spirit, she would have been frightened of the man walking towards her. He was wearing nothing but black, from the high-necked shirt and dark cloak to the slim fit pants and down to the shoes. His hair was also dark with only the dawning sun to cast some color to it and his eyes.. The ghost felt a shiver down her spine. With all that dark aura, he could be the grim reaper who takes souls to the other side.

The man stopped upon seeing her. He was close enough that she could finally get a clearer look. He seemed human and yet there was something other-worldly about him that she couldn't quite grasp.

"You." The man said.

Confused, she looked behind her but no one else was around.

"I'm talking to you." The man said and she nearly jumped in surprise. He can see me! And he's not running the other way! "C-can you hear me?" The ghost asked.

"Of course, I'm not deaf." He answered with cutting sarcasm as though talking to a ghost was something he normally do. Her mouth quirked in astonishment and partly annoyance at the man's superior tone. But then again, here's someone whom she could finally talk to and the odd chance of finding someone like him was almost zero. She couldn't let this chance go.

"If you're going to ask me for some favor. I have to decline." The man said as though he read her mind.

Eh?

And just like that her hopes came crashing back to the ground again.

* * *

To be continued..


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:**

 **This story is an alternate universe. The characters aside from the Kamisama Kiss are entirely fictional. Also, I changed the chapter 2 of this story** **.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO**

Kirihito watched as the expression on her face went from hopeful to disappointed. Such human emotions coming from a wandering spirit. There's still an aura of purity around her, an untainted soul, a spirit still stuck between life and death. She's probably like the boy whose body he now possesses and whose stupid conviction made him cling to the living world longer than necessary.

"I'm sorry for bothering you." She said with a forlorn smile, her eyes misting much to his distaste. He hated such blatant show of weakness. Humans are such weak beings.

"It's really rude of me to ask for help from someone who don't even know me." She stood up and smiled at him. "I guess I have to look for some other way." And with that, she walked past him.

That stupid smile.

.. I've come to rescue you..

"What are you going to do next?" Kirihito's eyes widened for a fraction. Why did he said that?

"Huh?" She glanced back at him. Thinking for a moment what to say, she shrugged helplessly and then said, "ah, well.. I don't know. I'm sure I'll come up with something."

For a second there the land god's face flashed in his mind. That carefree expression and naivete..

Kirihito scowled, irritated at the stirring feeling in his chest. "If you're going to keep wandering in this place, you should stay away from the dark."

"Eh, why?"

"Why?" He smiled darkly at her. "Your scent is like a fresh meat to dark spirits. Once they devoured you... you will never be able to go to the after life."

Kyouko kicked at the dirt as she passed by a small store. "Your soul will never go to the after life," she said, mimicking the man. "Why do he even know such things? Is he an exorcist or a monk or what?"

Geez, suddenly saying something like that when she doesn't even know where to go.

She paused in her tracks, noting the familiar park ahead of her. It was where her mother brought her when she was still small. The park was still quite the same even though it's been years since the last time she went there with her mother.

She sat on a small stone bench, looking around the familiar park with such longing.

"Look, mommy, a butterfly!" The memory of her running after a white butterfly. It was when she scraped her knee after tripping on a rock, her mother rushing quickly after her, rocking her and brushing her hair until she stopped crying.

"Mommy.. mommy.."

"Huh?" She looked around. What's that sound?

"Mommy.."

There it was again. The sound of someone sobbing.

Kyouko looked around and spotted a small girl sitting on the ground a few meters away from her, her small back facing her.

"Hey, are you alright?" She approached the child and hunched down with her hands on her knees. "Are you lost?" The child bobbed her head in a small nod.

"Do you know where you last saw your mother?" Kyouko said, and the child pointed to a path leading to a patch of bushes and trees. "Alright, here take my hand. We'll look for your mother."

As she extended her hand, a chill ran down her spine. Wait, a minute.. she looked down at the child with its face hidden under a thick dark locks. The child can see her, she can hear her.

"Mommy.. I want my mommy." The child said and another chill ran down from her head to toe.

How come the child can see her when she had tried everything to make people sense her much less speak to her?

Was there a child in this place in the beginning?

She didn't see anyone walk pass the street and she was sitting where she has a full view of the park.

 _You should stay away from the dark.._

The street light flickered ever so slightly. She hadn't noticed it was already evening. The park was isolated except her and…

"He.. he.. he.. No.." the child straightened from her hunched pose and faced her. "What I want is .. You!"

"Ah!" She gasped, she was knocked to the ground by a strong wind. She looked in front of her, the child was no longer there.

 _Your scent is like a fresh meat to dark spirits.._

A hand grabbed her hair from behind and pulled with such force that her toes nearly lifted from the ground. "Hmm.. such a lovely smell."

Kyouko grabbed the hand holding her hair and felt such sharp claws. These hands.. No.. please.. Don't!

"Kuku, I'll replenish the power that I lost after I ate you. I can finally take revenge on that bastard."

I'll be eaten..

Once they devoured you... you will never be able to go to the after life.

No.. I still have things to do. I have to -

"No! Let me go!" She kicked at the demon.

"Kuku, fighting will do you no good, little girl."

Please, someone save me! "No! No! Let go!"

She closed her eyes. Someone, help!

The hand that was holding her hair let go and she stumbled to her knees. When she opened her eyes, the demon holding her captive was engulfed in black fire.

"Ahhrgh! You bastard!"

"What a bother."

And like that— emerging from the darkness was none other than the man she met a while ago. But this time he looked truly like a dark angel. A beautiful and fallen one.


	4. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

"What a bother." The man uttered as he stared at the writhing demon with such cold eyes.

Kyouko's eyes widened. It was the weird guy she met earlier! What is he doing in this place—

"You bastard! I'll kill you." A few steps behind her, the demon clutched at his face that was slowly turning molten and sizzling with burn. "I should've killed you right away."

"If you can." The man smiled at the demon, taunting it even more. The demon, clearly enraged, lunged at the man only to stop as a pair of shadow flashed as fast as lightning and landed in front of it.

"Kirihito-sama, please stay back." A pair of demons with fox mask covering their faces stood in front of the man, knives in hand as if to protect him. One of the demons wore traditional Japanese clothes with a pale blue color while the other one wore an orange body suit and a handkerchief wrapped around his neck.

"What—" The demon, upon realizing that he was out numbered, took a step back. "You think you can defeat me?" He stretched his hands in front and uttered something under his breath. Something dark and shaped like black smoke suddenly materialized out from his palms and covered the place in dark miasma.

Kyouko coughed at the sudden thickness in the air. The atmosphere became suddenly heavy as though something was pressed upon her shoulders. Not only that, her vision was starting to lose its focus and her breathing turning shallow.

What is this smoke?

"Kuku, you can plead for your life now, if you want." The voice of the demon echoed across the park in an eerie sound as though his voice was coming from all sides.

Where does it come from?

Kyouko continued to cough as she squinted her eyes to see through the thick dark fog.

I can't see! Ah!

There! There was a shape. She could barely see but she knew— she knew it was him.

"Me, plead for my life?" Kirihito snorted. "Do you think such petty tricks will work on me?" He raised his hand. "Kikuichi! Monjiro!"

A strong gust of whirlwind blew the miasma away until the park slowly became visible to Kyouko's eyes.

"Such a lowly demon like you dare to attack our master— what a nerve you have." The masked demon wearing a blue kimono stood in the middle of the fading whirlwind while the other one ran past the gap between him and the demon who spewed the miasma.

"Tch..." The demon raised his hand and threw something on the ground, a dark mist bursting from it, covering his body. When the mist faded, the demon was no where to be seen.

"What a coward!" Cursing, the masked demon halted in his tracks.

"Leave it."

"Yes, my lord." The demon bowed.

"Let's go."

"Umm…" Minami stared at them, dumbstruck. The three glanced at her.

What an odd group.

"Who's this girl?" The masked demon said, pointing at her. "Yeah, yeah who is she?" The other one said.

The man they called master glanced at her. He was the man she met a few hours ago. "Didn't I tell you to stay away from the dark?" He said to her.

Staring at those mysterious eyes. Those dark eyes— those nearly lifeless eyes. She knew right from the start that there was something about him.

Something sinister..

Something more dark..

More dangerous..

But she couldn't look away..

She couldn't—

"Kirihito-sama!"

She watched as he swayed before her, his body no longer holding itself upright was falling— falling to the ground.


End file.
